Dear readers,
During these summer vacations, I got a unique chance to visit the two famous DEVNAGARIS of India - Haridwar( The abode of God) and Mathura(birthplace of Lord Krishna).
Haridwar is a city on the banks of the holy river Ganga.From the saffron clothed sadhus to the small and big temples and not to forget the ghats festooned with diyas. As I walked down the narrow "gallis"(each having their own unique name like chotiwala galli, halwai ki galli and so on), I realised that all these devotees have sacrificed the pleasures of life in the service of God. They have never seen God in physical form nor have they ever asked for anything in return. Interacting with a sadhu passing by, he said that he was extremely thankful to the almighty for all he had got and wanted to express his gratitude through his prayers."HAR KI PAUDI" is the renowned ghat where people come from all over the world for darshan. While some people come to expiate their sins, the rest wish to seek blessings for future endeavours. Even in the scorching heat, the waves lashing on the steps of the ghat are chilling cold which is known to be a unique feature of this place. The Ganges river originating from the Gangotri glacier has high spiritual significance .According to Hindu mythology, the river water flows from Lord Shiva's long tresses. Since centuries, Goddess Ganga has protected her devotees from all the bad spirits like children in the mother's womb.The locals there have the staunch belief that the fast flow of Ganga takes away all their sorrows and fears spreading joy and happiness everywhere.
Mathura is a ancient town based on the banks of the Yamuna river.We reached Mathura through the Yamuna expressway. This newly born 6-lane expressway which connects Delhi and Agra has not yet been inaugrated. Travelling on the smooth roads, I was truly amazed at the extent of modernisation happening around. Along the expressway, a vivid picture was formed in my mind which I can express only in words-
Small little huts which hid lot of treasures within them,
Tall bushy trees each telling its own tale,
Small canals quenching the thirst of the dried shrubs,
Lush green grass protecting the earth from the scorching heat.
It was a great journey to Mathura with " No Traffic"( a rare feature on Delhi roads).
As we entered the city,the religious fervour around aroused my spiritual being.The "Shyamnagari"(as it is called - shyam(krishna) and nagari(home)) came as a bigger surprise to me. Every wall has Shri Radhe painted on it. . As I entered the guest house, a pleasant man welcomed me saying,"Radhe Radhe!"The name of Shree Krishna and Radha was echoing in every nook and corner of the city. All this is redolent of their immense faith in the power of God. It was a memorable experience to visit a range of temples like Dwarkadheesh, Isckon, Krishna Janmabhoomi. Apart from all this, I even went on a tour to the Govardhan town. As told by the pandits, Lord Krishna had lifted the Gobardhan Parvat on a stormy weather day so that all the Brijwasis could take shelter under it. Many devout bhakts take a parikrama of the mountain which is 21 km long. All this made me feel that even though we will never experience God in real form, He has always done the best for His children. To say it in more beautiful words,"Any man can count the number of seeds in an apple but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." God is the mighty spirit who moves the cycle of life and death.
The glory of god and his power is visible in everything living or non living. One only feels extremely peaceful and pure being closer to the Divine power. Visiting temples, I just felt more motivated to keep striving till I got the good then better and finally the best.To conclude, I would like to quote the words of Abraham Lincoln, which are" My concern is not whether God is on our side ; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."
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